Journal of Building Engineering 38 (2021) 102090

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Journal of Building Engineering

journal homepage: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jobe

Effect of different fibre types on the structural performance of recycled

aggregate concrete beams with spliced bars
Arash Karimipour a, Mehrollah Rakhshanimehr b, Mansour Ghalehnovi c, *, Jorge de Brito d
a
Department of Civil Engineering at University of Texas at El Paso and Member of the Centre for Transportation Infrastructure Systems (CTIS), Texas, USA
b
Department of Civil Engineering at Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
c
Department of Civil Engineering at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
d
CERIS, Full Professor at Department of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Georresources, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Providing a sufficient lap length to spliced bars plays a vital role to provide an adequate flexural strength and
Flexural behaviour flexibility to reinforced concrete (RC) beams. This study intends to assess the influence of polypropylene fibres
Lap-splice length (PPF) and steel fibres (SF) on the flexural behaviour of recycled aggregate reinforced concrete (RARC) beams
Recycled aggregate
with spliced bars. For this purpose, 40 specimens with a cross-section 150 mm wide and 200 mm high, and a
Reinforced concrete beams
Steel fibres
length of 1500 mm with different lap lengths in spliced bars, were cast and tested. One specimen was selected as
Polypropylene fibres a control beam with no fibres, recycled aggregate (RA) and spliced bars. Then, RA was replaced at 100% mass
replacement ratio. Furthermore, to increase the cohesiveness between bars and concrete, which affect the
flexural behaviour of RC beams, SF and PPF were added at 0%, 1% and 2% (by volume) separately. Four-point
bending tests were performed to measure the load-bearing capability, ultimate deformation, flexibility and
stiffness of RARC beams with different lap lengths. The influence of the fibres and of the lap length on the
structural performance of RARC beams was the main aim of this investigation. Experiments indicated that the
lap-spliced bars length could be reduced by 40% when both RA and 2% fibres are used with no reduction of the
flexural strength of the beams, and the influence of 2% SF is higher than that of PPF.

were manufactured and tested. The maximum bearing capacity,

maximum displacement, concrete strain and long-term behaviour of the
1. Introduction
specimens were the focus of this study. RA was used at four substitution
levels: 0%, 20%, 50%, and 100%. They found that the long-term de­
Reducing the dumping of waste materials in the environment has
formations of the RAC specimens are higher than those of the specimens
become an essential issue worldwide. Concrete elements could be cast
made with natural aggregates (NA) in both strain and deflection terms.
using different sorts of waste materials as a substitute of cement, coarse
Mohammed et al. [12] used brick as an RA to produce mortar. In their
and fine aggregates or be added to concrete as additional materials and
paper, 24 RARC beams with 200 mm width, 250 mm height and length
fillers to improve its mechanical properties [1–9]. Recycled materials
of 2100 mm were cast and subjected to a lateral hydraulic load-cell, and
can come from different sources, such as demolished buildings. In recent
the ultimate deformation at the middle and one third-span of the spec­
decades, many research studies have been performed on the behaviour
imens and the load-bearing capability were recorded. There was no
of RARC beams. In 2018, Chaboki et al. [10] evaluated the structural
momentous variance between the flexural performance of RARC speci­
performance of SF RARC beams. A total of 27 RC beams were cast and
mens and those with conventional aggregate. In another study, Tošić
tested. SF were added at three contents: 0%, 1% and 2%. Furthermore,
et al. [13] examined the shear and bending performance of RARC beams.
RA was incorporated at three mass ratios: 0%, 50% and 100%. The re­
Moreover, the results were compared with Eurocode 2 code. 217
sults indicated that SF and transversal reinforcement (TR) spacing have
experimental data were collected in order to appraise the bending
a significant effect on the structural behaviour of RARC beams. In
behaviour of the beams. Furthermore, the effect of TR was considered in
another study, Seara-Paz et al. [11] studied the long-term flexural per­
the shear performance of the specimens. Based on this study, the flexural
formance of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) beams. Eight RC beams

* Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: akarimipour@miners.utep.edu (A. Karimipour), m.rakhshanimehr@alzahra.ac.ir (M. Rakhshanimehr), Ghalehnovi@ferdowsi.um.ac.ir
(M. Ghalehnovi), jb@civil.ist.utl.pt (J. de Brito).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2020.102090
Received 25 June 2020; Received in revised form 23 November 2020; Accepted 10 December 2020
Available online 31 December 2020
2352-7102/© 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A. Karimipour et al.
Abbreviation
Ab cross-section area of a single longitudinal tensile bar
At cross-section area of a single shear bar
Δ0.85 displacement at 85% of the maximum load
Δy displacement at first yield
db diameter of the tensile bars
fS tensile stress of bars
i ductility ratio
ld lap length of spliced bars
LWC lightweight concrete
NA natural aggregate
NARC natural aggregate reinforced concrete
PPF polypropylene fibres
and shear behaviour of RARC beams without stirrups is successfully
predicted by Eurocode 2.
In 2016, Arora and Singh [14] assessed the effect of 100% RA on the
bending strength of RC beams under a flexural fatigue test. 10 100mm×
100mm × 500mm specimens were manufactured and the results show
that using 100% RA resulted in a reduction of fatigue performance. Choi
and Yun [15] investigated the long-term flexural performance of RARC
beams. They tested beams after 360 days. RA was applied at three mass
ratios: 0%, 50% and 100%. Additionally, the results were compared
with ACI 318 requirements and a new equation was proposed to esti­
mate the long-term flexural performance of the beams. Azad [16] used
PET wastes to manufacture RC beams and examined the influence of this
waste material on the compressive strength, maximum bearing capacity,
load-displacement relationship and stiffness of the beams. It was re­
ported that 10% PET waste can be used with no reduction in stiffness
and flexural strength of the RC beams. Gao and Zhang [17] used RA and
SF in mortar. In their study, SF were employed at five replacement ra­
tios: 0%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5% and 2%. Besides, RA replaced NA at
four-volume ratios: 0%, 30%, 50% and 100%. They declared that the
flexural strength, stiffness and maximum displacement significantly
improved by increasing the SF content. Tarek et al. [18] manufactured
24 RC beams with brick. The experimental results of this study were
compared with formulas proposed by ACI 318–14 to predict the flexural
performance of RARC beams. It was shown that the cracks width and
ultimate moment did not fall by using brick aggregates.
According to previous research, in some cases using RA led to a decay
of the flexural performance of RC beams. Therefore, to prevent the
reduction of shear and bending performance of RC beams, SF can be
used. Prior investigations have shown the positive reinforcing effect of
SF on the structural performance of RC beams [19–23], improving the
tensile and stiffness of concrete. Therefore, the mechanical properties of
concrete could be boosted by adding fibres. In addition, SF not only
reduce cracks propagation but also control their growth [24–26]. Altun
and Aktas [27] studied the bending performance of SF lightweight
concrete (LWC) beams and showed that cracks propagated faster in LWC
beams than in those cast using the conventional concrete, due to the
lower elastic modulus of LWC. Furthermore, SF could increase energy
dissipation in RC elements. In their study, different contents of SF were
added in LWC and conventional concrete. They tested specimens under a
lateral hydraulic bending load-cell and found that SF improve the
stiffness and ductility of concrete beams. In another investigation, Yoo
et al. [28] measured the impact of SF on the post-cracking performance
of high-strength RC beams. A new model was developed and compared
with the Japan Concrete Institute (JCI) standard requirements. It was
reported that adding 1% SF causes to significant improvement of the
bending capacity of the RC specimens in addition to increasing the
fracture energy.
Roesler et al. [29] studied the structural performance of SF RC
2
Journal of Building Engineering 38 (2021) 102090
RA recycled aggregate
RAC recycled aggregate concrete
RARC recycled aggregate reinforced concrete
RC reinforced concrete
Rr relative rib area equal to projected rib area normal to the
bar axis/(nominal bar perimeter × axis-to-axis rib spacing)
SF steel fibres
S shear reinforcement spacing
TR transversal reinforcement
T tensile bar force
uEsf planned bond stress
uc maximum local bond stress
beams. 20 RC beams (180mm ×250mm ×3500) with different SF con­
tents, were cast. 10 diverse longitudinal rebars ratios (from 0.2% to
2.5%) were also applied. In this study, the ultimate deflection,
maximum load-bearing capability and stiffness of SF RC beams were
determined and discussed. Moreover, a new model was also developed
to forecast the bearing capacity of these beams. In another study,
Soutsos et al. [30] evaluated the flexural behaviour of SF RC beams
under both static and dynamic loads. The effect of SF on the bending
performance under static load is more effective than under dynamic
load. Furthermore, some studies have been performed on the flexural
behaviour of RC beams with lap-spliced bars. The lap length of spliced
bars influences the bond-slip distribution between concrete and the
longitudinal tension rebars. In previous investigations, the effects of
admixtures, concrete compressive strength, and rib properties of the
rebars have been also studied [31]. Also, many types of research have
resulted in new analytical and experiential formulas to forecast bond
strength [32–36]. The congestion of steel rebars has created serious
problems in the construction of high-strength concrete beams. Alterna­
tively, the deformation and flexibility of RC beams with spliced rebars is
an issue that has attracted the attention of engineers in recent years.
Azizinamini et al. [37,38] studied the accuracy of ACI to predict the
deformability of spliced bars reinforced concrete beams and declared
that providing sufficient shear rebars is an important reason for
obtaining sufficient ductility in RC beams with spliced bars Also,
recently, Ghalehnovi et al. [39] measured the effect of SF on the
bond-slip performance and structural performance of RC beams with
spliced bars by testing 10 RC beams with diverse lap lengths and SF
contents under static and cyclic loading. SF were added to concrete
mixes at three volume ratios: 0%, 1% and 2%. It was concluded that, by
adding 2% SF, the lap length could be cut by at least 20% with no
reduction of the ductility or load-bearing capability [40].
2. Research significance
The literature indicates that RA can be used to improve the flexural
performance of RC beams. Using spliced bars in RC beams is a common
and specialized subject in tall structures. Hence, providing sufficient lap
length of spliced bars is an important issue. Moreover, the literature
showed that there is a difference between the flexural behaviour of NA
concrete beams and those cast using RA, and the shape, size and the
properties of aggregates are importance factors that affect the length of
the splice bars, bond-slip and flexural behaviour of RC beams with
spliced bars. Therefore, in this study, the flexural behaviour of lap-
spliced RARC beams was compared with that of those made with NA.
Conversely, SF improve the flexural behaviour of RC beams with lap
length in spliced bars due to the improvement of the bond-slip perfor­
mance between concrete and reinforcement over the lap length. How­
ever, the effect of SF and polypropylene fibres (PPF) on the flexural
A. Karimipour et al. Journal of Building Engineering 38 (2021) 102090

Fig. 1. Boundary stress distribution.

performance of RARC beams was never studied. Therefore, the flexural,

ductility, bond-slip and stiffness was both NA and RARC were measured
in this study in addition to investigating the difference between the ef­
fect of SF and PPF.

3. Lap length calculation of spliced bars

There are various parameters affecting the lap length of spliced bars.
According to Esfahani and Kianoush [41], it can be calculated using Eq.
(1):
T Ab fS
ld = √̅̅̅̅ = √̅̅̅̅ (1)
′ ′
a fc a fc

Where
Fig. 2. Definition of the displacement-ductility ratio.
c
+ 0.5
(2)
d
a = 7.2db cb
db
+ 3.6 ( ) ( )
T 1 + M1 Cmed At Ab
u= = uc √̅̅̅̅̅ 0.88 + 0.12 × 1 + 0.015fR
Ab is the cross-section area of a single longitudinal tensile bar (mm2 ); fS π db Ld 1.85 + 0.024 M C CS
the tensile stress of the bars (MPa); db the diameter of the tensile bars (5)
(mm);ld the lap length of spliced bars (mm); fc the concrete compressive
′

Where uEsf is the planned bond stress, T the tensile force of the bars
strength (MPa); C the minimum of Cx , Cy and(Cs + db )/ 2. Also, Cx and Cy
(MPa), and uc the maximum local bond stress (MPa) at failure, found by
are the side and concrete bottom covers over the reinforcing bars (mm),
Eq. (6).
and Cs the spliced bars spacing (mm). It should be noted that Eq. (1) is
valid if enough shear reinforcement is provided over the lap length using C
+ 0.5 √̅̅̅̅′
(6)
d
Eq. (3). According to Esfahani and Kianoush [42], a minimum value of uc = 2.7 Cb fc
db
+ 3.6
TR should be provided over the lap length to guarantee the adequate
flexural performance of the RC beams. To measure the deformability and ductility of RC beams with spliced
[ ] bars, a ductility ratio (DR) index is employed. It is defined by Cohn and
At 67C 1.63M/0.88 + 0.12(Cmed /C)
= − 1 (3) Barlett [43] as the ratio between the displacement corresponding to 85%
S fR Ab (M + 1) of the maximum bending capability in the post-peak portion of the curve
and the one corresponding to the first yield displacement of a beam (Eq.
Where Cmed is the median of Cx , Cy and(Cs + db )/2.At the cross-section
(7) and Fig. 2):
area of a single shear reinforcement (mm2 ); s the shear reinforcement
spacing (mm); fR = 1 if Rr < 0.11 and fR = 1.6 if Rr ≥ 0.11;Rr is also the i=
Δ0.85
(7)
relative rib area equal to projected rib area normal to the bar axis/ Δy
(nominal bar perimeter × axis-to-axis rib spacing); and M can be found The literature has also demonstrated that Eq. (5) can be employed to
by Eq. (4) [24]. accurately account for all the effective parameters on bond-slip distri­
( √̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅)
′ bution, and the lap length in RC beams [43].
f
M = cosh 0.0022L 3 c (4)
db 4. Materials and specimens’ specifications
Furthermore, Eq. (4) is obtained according to the bond-slip distri­
In this study, a total of 40 RC beams, with 150 mm wide and 200 mm
bution over the rebars surface using the next formula, as illustrated in
high, and a length of 1500 mm were cast and tested. Different volu­
Fig. 1 [25–32].
metric contents of PPF and SF (0%, 1% and 2%) and substitution ratios

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A. Karimipour et al. Journal of Building Engineering 38 (2021) 102090

Table 1 The percentages before SF and PPF indicate the fibres content in term of
Properties of the beams. volume. Additionally, RA indicates the RA replacement content and Wld ,
Specimen PPF (%) SF (%) RCA (%) Lap length (mm) - ld , 0.8ld and 0.6ld denote specimen reinforced with continuous tensile
rebars, designed lap-spliced length, 20% reduced lapped length and 40%
0F-0RA-Wld 0 0 0 No splice
reduced lapped length, respectively. Fig. 3 shows the geometry of the
1SF-0RA-Wld 1 0 0 No splice
specimens. As seen there, a splice is created in the tensile rebars at the
2SF-0RA-Wld 2 0 0 No splice
middle of the beams’ length. Also, rebars with 20 mm, 10 mm and 8 mm
1PPF-0RA-Wld 0 1 0 No splice
are used as tensile, compressive and transversal reinforcement, corre­
2PPF-0RA-Wld 0 2 0 No splice
spondingly. The specimens were made with cement, gravel, sand, water
0F-0RA- ld 0 0 0 430
and fibres. A high-performance superplasticiser was also used.to reach
1SF-0RA- ld 1 0 0 430
an appropriate workability of the mixes. Additionally, coarse RA
2SF-0RA- ld 2 0 0 430
substituted NA at 0% and 100%. The concrete mixes’ composition of all
1PPF-0RA- ld 0 1 0 430
specimens is presented in Table 2. The total water/cement ratio of all
2PPF-0RA- ld 0 2 0 430
samples was kept constant at 0.41. To determine the compressive and
0F-0RA-0.8ld 0 0 0 340
tensile strength of the specimens, six cylindrical samples with 150 mm
1SF-0RA-0.8ld 1 0 0 340
2SF-0RA-0.8ld 2 0 0 340
1PPF-0RA-0.8ld 0 1 0 340 Table 2
2PPF-0RA-0.8ld 0 2 0 340 Concrete mixes’ composition (kg/m3).
0F-0RA-0.6ld 0 0 0 260 Specimens Water Cement SF PPF Coarse Coarse Fine
1SF-0RA-0.6ld 1 0 0 260 RA NA NA

2SF-0RA-0.6ld 2 0 0 260 0SF-0RA 165 400 0 0 0 840 950

1PPF-0RA-0.6ld 0 1 0 260 0SF-100RA 165 400 0 0 840 0 950
1SF-0RA 165 400 78 0 0 762 950
2PPF-0RA-0.6ld 0 2 0 260
1SF-100RA 165 400 78 0 762 0 950
0F-100RA-Wld 0 0 100 No splice 2SF-0RA 165 400 156 0 0 685 950
1SF-100RA-Wld 1 0 100 No splice 2SF-100RA 165 400 156 0 685 0 950
2SF-100RA-Wld 2 0 100 No splice 1PPF-0RA 165 400 0 30 0 810 950
1PPF- 165 400 0 30 810 0 950
1PPF-100RA-Wld 0 1 100 No splice
100RA
2PPF-100RA-Wld 0 2 100 No splice
2 PP-0RA 165 400 0 60 0 810 950
0F-100RA- ld 0 0 100 430 2 PP- 165 400 0 60 810 0 950
1SF-100RA- ld 1 0 100 430 100RA
2SF-100RA- ld 2 0 100 430
1PPF-100RA- ld 0 1 100 430
2PPF-100RA- ld 0 2 100 430 Table 3
0F-100RA-0.8ld 0 0 100 340 Compressive and tensile strength of the various mixes.
1SF-100RA-0.8ld 1 0 100 340 Specimens Average Tensile stress Average Compressive
2SF-100RA-0.8ld 2 0 100 340 tensile coefficient of compressive strength
1PPF-100RA-0.8ld 0 1 100 340 strength variation strength (MPa) coefficient of
(MPa) variation
2PPF-100RA-0.8ld 0 2 100 340
0F-100RA-0.6ld 0 0 100 260 0SF-0RA 4.88 0.27 38.5 1.11
0SF- 5.14 0.19 37.2 1.75
1SF-100RA-0.6ld 1 0 100 260
100RA
2SF-100RA-0.6ld 2 0 100 260
1SF-0RA 5.22 0.22 39.2 1.25
1PPF-100RA-0.6ld 0 1 100 260 1SF- 5.84 0.31 38.7 1.45
2PPF-100RA-0.6ld 0 2 100 260 100RA
2SF-0RA 6.11 0.27 40.5 1.48
2SF- 6.09 0.23 40.0 0.88
100RA
of NA with RA (0% and 100%) were used. Furthermore, three lap
1PPF-0RA 5.16 0.25 39.84 0.56
lengths of spliced bars were considered. For this aim, the lap length of 1PPF- 5.94 0.24 38.5 1.08
spliced bars (ld ) was calculated according to Eq. (1) and then reduced to 100RA
0.8ld and 0.6ld . The specimens’ characteristics are presented in Table 1. 2 PP-0RA 6.20 0.34 40.2 1.12
In Table 1, F, SF and PPF refer to specimens without any fibres, 2 PP- 6.34 0.21 40.6 1.65
100RA
specimens reinforced with SF and those reinforced to PPF, respectively.

Fig. 3. Geometry of the beams, arrangement of the reinforcement and lap length.

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A. Karimipour et al. Journal of Building Engineering 38 (2021) 102090

Fig. 4. Grading size distribution of the coarse aggregates.

Diffraction is illustrated. In addition, a sample of aggregates is repre­

Table 4
sented in Fig. 6.
Physical characteristics of aggregates.
To manufacture fibre concrete, SF and PPF were employed as illus­
Aggregate Apparent Bulk Water Crushing Porosity trated in Fig. 7. The properties of fibres are also presented in Table 6
type density (g/ density absorption index (%) (%)
[52–56]. In this study, the fibres were added to mortar at 0%, 1% and
cm3) (g/cm3) (wt%)
2% (by volume). Moreover, the rebars were tested under direct tension
NA 2.76 2.65 1.441 31.0 3.88 and their characteristics are presented in Table 7.
RA 2.67 2.59 1.185 49.2 2.99

5. Test setup and loading condition

Table 5
The specimens were tested under a four-point hydraulic load-cell
Chemical characteristics of aggregates.
setup after 28 days of curing. The distance between two joint supports
Chemical composition Aggregate type
were 1300 mm. Besides, two concentrated loads were applied under
NA RA displacement control conditions, as demonstrated in Fig. 8. The
Ca(CO3) (%) 71.2 – maximum deformation of specimens was documented at each load step
SiO2 (%) 28.7 – by using LVDT.
Ca Mg(CO3)2 (%) – 100
Ca Mg(CO3) (%) – –
Total diffusion outline (%) 100 100 6. Results and discussion
Background radiation (%) 23.32 17.85
Diffusion peaks (%) 78.78 82.02 6.1. Flexural performance and load-bearing capability
Peak area belonging to selected phases (%) 15.97 52.88
Peak area of phase A (CaCO3) (%) 11.10 –
Peak area of phase B (SiO2) (%) 5.01 –
First, the relationship between the load and deformation of speci­
Peak area of phase A (CaMg(CO3)2) – 52.198 mens with no fibres was evaluated to measure the influence of the lap
length and RA on the flexural behaviour. Cracks propagation was also
assessed. The results are presented in Fig. 9, where the maximum flex­
diameter and 300 mm height were manufactured and tested under a ural capacity dropped because of reducing the lap length of spliced bars
hydraulic jack according to the current standards [44–48], and the re­ and consequent reduction of the bond-slip strength between the con­
sults are shown in Table 3. crete and longitudinal tension reinforcement over the lap length. The
To manufacture the concrete mixes, both coarse NA and RA were tensile rebars slip more, causing the beam to deform more quickly and
applied at different contents. RA was provided from a demolished reduce the load-bearing capacity of the RC beam. Therefore, the higher
building. The aggregates were characterised, as per Chaboki et al.’s specimens’ deformation with spliced bars resulted from the slip of the
investigation [49]. The RA used are igneous rock that is composed of rebars and it is not because of the rebar yielding Conversely, the
magma, which is a mixture of molten minerals found deep in the earth. maximum deformation of specimens fell when the splice was created in
When the molten material cools down and air is released, condensation the tensile rebars; however, reducing the lap length raised the maximum
and a reduction of porosity occur, which reduces the water absorption. displacement of the middle of specimens’ length. The same trend of
The grading curves of the aggregates are shown in Fig. 4 according to load-displacement performance of RA concrete beams with spliced bars
available standards [50,51]. Furthermore, the physical and chemical was observed in RA and Na specimens, but the maximum mid-span
characteristics of aggregates are provided in Tables 4 and 5. Also, in displacement of the specimens increased when RA was used (Fig. 9b).
Fig. 5, the chemical composition of the aggregates obtained by X-Ray This behaviour of RARC avoids an unexpected compressive or tensile

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A. Karimipour et al. Journal of Building Engineering 38 (2021) 102090

Fig. 5. X-Ray Diffraction patterns of the coarse aggregates: a) NA; b) RA.

Fig. 6. Coarse aggregates: a) RA; b) NA.

failure and results in a “softening” behaviour of the load-deformation
performance.
The softening behaviour of concrete is due to various toughening
mechanisms, such as aggregate bridging in the fracture process zone of
concrete when RA are used as a replacement for NA. This is due to the
higher broken surfaces and higher strength of the used RA compared to
NA. Therefore, RA could be used to produce RC beam with lap-spliced
bars with no reduction in load-bearing capacity. Consequently,
cracking and their propagation in the specimens are represented in
Fig. 10. As shown there, cracks propagated more when the lap length
decreased because of more movement or tensile rebars under the tensile
stress due to the higher fractured surfaces and more adhesion of RA with
the cement paste. Conversely, the cracks’ width fell when 100% RA
replaced NA; however, the lap length decreased (Fig. 10). So, using RA
led to improving the flexural behaviour and flexibility of RC beams.
Moreover, cracks propagated more and inclined cracks’ width declined
because of RA’s incorporation.
Figs. 11–14 show the impact of fibres’ incorporation on the bending

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A. Karimipour et al. Journal of Building Engineering 38 (2021) 102090

Fig. 7. Fibres: a) SF; b) PPF.

concrete under the lateral load. Moreover, the displacement of speci­

Table 6 mens rose when fibres were added to the concrete mix. So, the flexibility
Properties of the fibres. of the beams increased, and the specimen did not fail suddenly.
Fibres Tensile resistance Elastic modulus Failure Specific weight As seen in Fig. 11, there is no substantial difference between the
( )
(GPa) (GPa) strain (%) kg flexural capacity of the 1% SF RC beam and those containing 1% PPF,
m3 while the influence of PPF on the maximum mid-span displacement and
SF 200 2.0 3.0 2400 flexibility of RC beams with lap-spliced bars is more pronounced than
PPF 250 2.8 3.4 900
that of SF due to more adhesion of PPF with tensile rebar surface over
the lap length of spliced bards compared to SF. The reason for the pos­
itive impact of fibres on the flexural performance of RC beams with lap-
Table 7 spliced bars is the increase of bond-slip strength between steel tensile
Rebars test results. rebars and concrete. As a result, the lap length could be reduced by 20%
Diameter of Yield Ultimate Yield Maximum Elastic with no reduction of the bending capacity when a combination of RA
bars (mm) strength strength strain strain (%) modulus and 1% fibres is used. Also, it is concluded that using 1% PPF is better
(MPa) (MPa) (%) (GPa) than 1% SF.
20 371 561 15.27 25.82 213.17 Moreover, there was a considerable difference in the maximum
10 408 677 13.04 25.51 210.10 bending capacity of 1% fibres RC beams with spliced rebars when RA
8 371 560 12.94 24.93 209.28
was used (Fig. 12). Creating splices in the tensile bars reduced the
maximum displacement and flexibility of RC beams because specimens
performance of natural aggregate reinforced concrete (NARC) and RARC fail earlier. According to Fig. 12a, using RA improves the maximum mid-
beams with spliced bars. According to the results, using fibres improves span displacement compared to conventional RC beams with lap-spliced
the maximum flexural strength of these beams because fibres play a bars because the toughness of concrete increases consequently of higher
bridge role to keep concrete particles close and increase the bond-slip resistance of the used RA compared to NA; however, the maximum
performance between concrete and tensile rebars. Fibres adhere to the deformation dropped when splices were created in the tensile rebars,
surface of the rebar when concrete is in the fresh state and the friction while the displacement at the ultimate bending strength significantly
between the rebar and the concrete increases when concrete hardens. increased relative to the specimen without lap-spliced bars when both
Hence, the bond-slip strength raises and the tensile rebars slip less inside RA and 1% PPF were used.
According to Fig. 13, adding 2% fibres had a substantial effect on

Fig. 8. Test setup.

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A. Karimipour et al. Journal of Building Engineering 38 (2021) 102090

Fig. 9. Effect of aggregates type on the load-displacement curve of concrete beams with spliced bars a) NA and b) RA.

Fig. 10. Cracking and failure mode of the specimens with lap-spliced bars during loading.

Fig. 11. Influence of 1% of fibres on the flexural behaviour of NARC beams with spliced bars a) SF and b) PPF.

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A. Karimipour et al. Journal of Building Engineering 38 (2021) 102090

Fig. 12. Influence of 1% of fibres on the flexural behaviour of RARC beams with spliced bars a) SF and b) PPF.

Fig. 13. Influence of 2% of fibres on the flexural behaviour of NARC beams with spliced bars a) SF and b) PPF.

Fig. 14. Influence of 1% of fibres on the flexural behaviour of RARC beams with spliced bars a) SF and b) PPF.

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A. Karimipour et al. Journal of Building Engineering 38 (2021) 102090

Fig. 15. Influence of fibres on the cracks propagation and failure mode of the specimens with lap-spliced bars during loading.

Fig. 16. Influence of the fibres and RA on the bending strength of RC beams with design lap length.

improving both the ultimate flexural strength and mid-span displace­
ment of RC beams with lap-spliced tensile bars resulted from the bridge
role of the fibres and increase of the compressive strength of concrete
when fibres are used. Conversely, unlike the specimens with 1% fibres,
the impact of 2% SF on the maximum flexural strength is higher than
that on those with 2% PPF, while the positive influence of 2% PPF on the
displacement at bending failure is more significant than that with 2% SF.
In addition, the displacement at bending failure rose in specimens with
different lap lengths when 2% fibres were used due to an increase of the
bond-slip and friction between the tensile rebars and concrete paste
during the rebars movement in concrete beams under the bending
action.
As shown in Fig. 14, the incorporation of both RA and 2% fibres led
to a considerable reduction of the maximum displacement when splices
were created in the tensile rebars. According to the results, the lap length
could be reduced by 40% when both RA and 2% fibres are used with no
reduction of the flexural strength of the beams, and the influence of 2%
SF is higher than that of 2% PPF. The PPF fibres tend to cluster around
the tensile rebars and concrete paste components, while the steel fibres
are further distributed in concrete. As a result, when the highest contents
of fibres are used, the impact of SF is greater than that of PPF.
Furthermore, cracks and their propagation during loading are rep­
resented in Fig. 15. As seen there, the cracks’ width increased with the
decrease of lap length due to more and faster slipping of the tensile

10
A. Karimipour et al. Journal of Building Engineering 38 (2021) 102090

Fig. 17. Influence of the fibres and RA on the bending strength of RC beams with 80% of the design lap length.

Fig. 18. Influence of the fibres and RA on the bending strength of RC beams with 60% of the design lap length.

rebars in concrete. Conversely, the cracks’ width declined when fibres
were added to the mixes, and cracks with lower width propagated more
when RA was used as a result of the bridge role of the fibres and increase
of the adhesion between fibres and concrete particles.
To assess the effect of fibres and RA on the flexural strength of RC
beams with different lap lengths, the load-displacement relationship of
all specimens was drawn, as seen in Figs. 16–18. According to Fig. 16,
using RA increases the maximum flexibility of RC beam with design lap
length due to higher broken surface of RA and adhesion between the
concrete paste and RA. In these specimens, using fibres improves both
the maximum bending capacity and deformation when sufficient lap
length is provided, while the influence of SF on the flexural capacity is
higher than PPF’s; however, the impact of PPF on the displacement at
the bending failure is more considerable. Additionally, using 1% fibres
did not improve the flexural capacity of beams when the lap length was
reduced by 20%; however, using fibres has a substantial impact on the
maximum deformation and flexibility of RC beams with 20% reduced
lap length in the tensile rebars. Conversely, using 2% fibres significantly
improves both the strength and deformation of RC beams with lap-
spliced bars, and the impact of SF is more pronounced (Fig. 17). In
addition, the bond-slip strength between concrete and the tensile rebars
over the spliced length increased when RA was used.
Fig. 18 shows the influence of the fibres and RA contents on the
flexural performance of RC beams when the lap length decreased by
40%. As seen there, using only 1% fibres does not enhance the flexural
strength and deformation of RC beams when the lap length decreased by

11
A. Karimipour et al.
Fig. 19. Impact of the fibres on the maximum bending resistance for different lap lengths.
40%. However, using 2% fibres had a substantial impact on both
deformation, as a result of the bridge role of the fibres to increase the
bond-slip strength and adhesion between the rebars and concrete paste
over the lap length, and strength of the RC beams, especially when 100%
RA was used.
Furthermore, the ultimate flexural capacity and mid-span displace­
ment of specimens are represented in Figs. 19 and 20. According to
Fig. 19, adding 2% SF or 2% PPF improved the ultimate bending
strength of RC beams with 20% reduced lap length by approximately 2%
and 15%, respectively, relative to the specimen without splices in the
tensile rebars. On the other hand, the ultimate flexural capacity was
enhanced by nearly 17% and 31% when RA was used with 2% PPF and
2% SF, and the lap length decreased by 20%, respectively, while in the
12
Journal of Building Engineering 38 (2021) 102090
specimens with 40% reduced lap length, the incorporation of RA with
2% PPF and 2% SF enhanced the maximum bending strength by about
7% and 16%, respectively, relative to the conventional RC with no
splices in the tensile rebars. Therefore, the lap length could be reduced
by 20% when 2% SF are used while the it could be decreased by 40%
when 2% SF or 2% PPF are used with 100% RA whit no reduction of the
flexural strength. The bridge role of the fibres also results in a raise of the
tensile strength of concrete and the increase of concrete tensile strength
of an uncracked cylinder around the reinforcing bar increases the local
bond strength. Therefore, friction is raised and improves the flexural
behaviour of the RC beams with spliced bars.
As shown in Fig. 20, the maximum mid-span displacement improved
by 92% and 60% when 2% PPF and SF was used, respectively, even if the
A. Karimipour et al.
Fig. 20. Influence of the fibres on the maximum displacement for different lap lengths.
lap length decreased by 40%. Also, adding 100% RA with 2% PPF and
2% SF enhanced the displacement at bending failure of 0.6ld spliced RC
beams by approximately 78% and 35%, respectively. In addition,
incorporating 100% RA with 2% PPF and 2% SF improved the defor­
mation of the RC beams by about 45% and 10%, respectively, when lap
length decreased by 20%. Also, the positive effect of incorporating fibres
with recycled aggregate on the bending load and mid-span displacement
of RC beams with lap-spliced bars can be observed in Figs. 26 and 27. It
should be stated that an increase of the area under the graph in Figs. 21
and 22 indicates a positive influence of the fibres and RA on the flexural
behaviour of RC beams with lap-spliced bars.
6.2. Ductility ratio
To investigate the influence of the fibres and RA contents on the
13
Journal of Building Engineering 38 (2021) 102090
bending resistance and flexibility of the beams with various lap lengths,
the ductility of the specimens is assessed using Eq. (7) and Fig. 2. It
should be stated that the ductility ratio qualitatively shows the condition
of the beams at failure. Specimens with higher ductility ratio have
ductile failure while a reduction of the ratio of ductility is linked to a
brittle and sudden failure. The ductility results of the specimens are
represented in Fig. 23 and Table 8.
According to Table 8, the deformability of the RC beams decreases
with the creation of splices in the tensile rebars. This is because of the
low slip of the spliced bars in concrete beams. Moreover, reducing the
lap length resulted in a drop of the ductility ratio and sudden failure
because of inadequate bond-slip strength between the tensile rebars and
concrete and then slip of the rebars in concrete Conversely, using RA
prevents brittle failure and improves the ductility ratio of RC beams with
lap-spliced bars due to higher toughness of concrete when RA are used
A. Karimipour et al.
Fig. 21. Impact of the fibres on the maximum displacement for different
lap lengths.
Fig. 22. Impact of the fibres on the maximum flexural strength for different
lap lengths.
because the strength of the used RA is higher than that of NA. Alterna­
tively, adding 1% fibres substantially improved the ductility ratio of RC
beams because of the bridge role of fibres, and the influence of PPF is
more pronounced. Another reason for the increased ductility due to the
use of fibres is the uniformity of the bond stress distribution over the
reinforcing bars, thus decreasing the equivalent uniform bond stress at
failure when fibres are added to the mix. Moreover, incorporating both
fibres and RA has a meaningful impact on improving the ductility of RC
beams with lap-spliced bars.
On the other hand, the positive influence of PPF on the ductility ratio
of RC beams with lap-spliced tensile rebars is higher than that of SF
when RA was used in the original beam relative to the specimen with no
splices due to the greater effect of increasing adhesion on the rebar
surface. However, using 2% fibres increases the ductility of specimens,
relative those without lap-spliced bars, but the ductility considerably
decreased relative to those with 1% fibres. Conversely, in specimens
with 2% fibres and RA, the influence of PPF in higher than that of SF.
Therefore, reducing the lap length by 20% and 40% resulted in a drop of
the ratio of ductility by about 47% and 57%, respectively. Besides,
14
Journal of Building Engineering 38 (2021) 102090
adding 1% SF, 2% SF, 1% PPF and 2% PPF enhanced the ductility of RC
beams by approximately 32%, 45%, 38% and 49%, respectively,
compared to the control specimen (with no fibres, RA and lap-spliced
tensile rebars). Moreover, using RA with 2% SF and 1% PPF raised the
ductility of RC beams by about 51% and 100, even if the lap length of
spliced bars decreases by 20%. Besides, in specimens with 0.6ld, incor­
porating RA and 1% SF and 1% PPF resulted in increasing the ductility
ratio by approximately 23% and 27%, respectively, relative to the
control RC beam.
6.3. Stiffness
Stiffness is a good indication of the flexural capacity of the RC beams.
It is defined as the initial gradient of the load-displacement relationship
of the specimens. Thus, the effect of lap length of spliced bars, SF, PPF
and RA contents on the stiffness of specimens is seen in Figs. 24–28.
According to them, the stiffness dropped by decreasing the lap length
because of reduced bond-slip strength, i.e. the specimens deform earlier
under load. Furthermore, incorporating RA with no fibres considerably
enhanced the stiffness of RC beams with lap-spliced tensile rebars due to
higher strength of RA than that of NA. Also, using 1% fibres had a
substantial influence on raising the stiffness of the RC beams with
different lap lengths due to the increase of concrete bearing strength in
front of the ribs of the reinforcing bars decreasing the failure angle and
thus increasing the local bond strength, and the influence of 1% PPF in
higher than that of 1% SF; however, incorporating RA with 1% fibres
reduces the stiffness value compared to 1% fibres only (Figs. 25 and 26).
Conversely, using 2% fibres slightly improved the value of stiffness, and
the impact of 2% SF is more significant than that of 2% PPF. Because SF
are better distributed than PPF in the cement paste when a high per­
centage of fibres is used. Therefore, using 1% SF, 1% PPF and 2% SF
raises the stiffness by about 58%, 78%, and 22%, respectively, even if
the lap length is reduced by 20% (Table 9). Moreover, in RC beams with
40% lower lap length, adding 1% SF, 1% PPF and 2% PPF enhances the
stiffness of specimens by about 34%, 48% and 3%, respectively.
Furthermore, the stiffness rose by 47% and 76% when RA with 1% SF
and 1% PPF were incorporated; even if the lap length decreased by 20%.
Alternatively, in RC beams with 40% lower lap length, using both RA
with 1% SF and 1% PPF resulted in raising the stiffness value by
approximately 32% and 37% correspondingly, compared to the control
specimens (with no RA, fibres and lap-spliced bars).
7. Conclusions
In this investigation, the flexural performance, ductility and stiffness
of fibre reinforced concrete beams with lap-spliced bars were investi­
gated. The research includes 40 RC beams. SF and PPF contents varied:
0%, 1% and 2%. Besides, RA was used at mass substitution ratios of 0%,
and 100% and three lap lengths were tested. According to the results, the
following conclusions were drawn:
1 The maximum flexural strength decreases as a result of reducing the
lap length of spliced bars. The maximum deformation of RC beams
declined when the splices were created in the tensile rebars; how­
ever, reducing the lap length causes the maximum mid-span
displacement of the specimens to raise. Instead, the maximum mid-
span displacement of specimens increased when RA was used;
2 Using fibres improves the maximum flexural strength of RC beams
with lap-spliced bars as well as the displacement at the ultimate
bending capacity. So, the flexibility of beams increased, and the
specimens did not show a sudden and brittle failure. Also, there is no
substantial difference between the flexural capacity of 1% SF RC
beam and that with 1%, PPF while the impact of PPF on the
maximum deformation and flexibility of RC beams with spliced bars
is more significant that of those with SF. As a result, the lap length
A. Karimipour et al. Journal of Building Engineering 38 (2021) 102090

Fig. 23. Ductility ratio of all specimens.

Fig. 24. Effect of aggregates type on the stiffness of concrete beams with spliced bars a) NA and b) RA.

Fig. 25. Influence of 1% of fibres on the stiffness of NARC beams with spliced bars a) SF and b) PPF.

15
A. Karimipour et al. Journal of Building Engineering 38 (2021) 102090

Fig. 26. Influence of 1% of fibres on the stiffness of RARC beams with spliced bars a) SF and b) PPF.

Fig. 27. Influence of 2% of fibres on the stiffness of NARC beams with spliced bars a) SF and b) PPF.

could be reduced by 20% with no reduction of the bending capacity

Table 8 when a combination of RA with 1% fibres was used;
Ductility ratio of all specimens. 3 Adding 2% fibres has a substantial effect on improving both the ul­
Specimen Ductility (i) Specimen Ductility (i) timate bending strength and mid-span displacement of RC beams
with lap-spliced tensile rebars, and the influence of 2% SF on the
0F-0RA-Wld 4.7 0F-100RA-Wld 7.8
0F-0RA-ld 2.8 0F-100RA-ld 4.7 maximum flexural strength is higher than that of 2% PPF while the
0F-0RA-0.8ld 2.5 0F-100RA-0.8ld 2.9 positive influence of 2% PPF on the displacement at bending failure
0F-0RA-0.6ld 2.0 0F-100RA-0.6ld 2.1 is more pronounced than that of 2% SF. The incorporation of both RA
1SF-0RA-Wld 12.7 1PPF-0RA-Wld 12.8
and 2% fibres led to a considerable reduction in the maximum
1SF-0RA-ld 7.6 1PPF-0RA-ld 8.0
1SF-0RA-0.8ld 6.2 1PPF-0RA-0.8ld 6.8
displacement when splices are created in the tensile rebars. There­
1SF-0RA-0.6ld 3.6 1PPF-0RA-0.6ld 5.1 fore, the lap length could be reduced by 40% when both RA and 2%
1SF-100RA-Wld 16.3 1PPF-100RA-Wld 14.5 fibres are used with no reduction of the flexural strength of the
1SF-100RA-ld 13.4 1PPF-100RA-ld 12.5 beams, and the influence of 2% SF is higher than that of 2% PPF;
1SF-100RA-0.8ld 7.1 1PPF-100RA-0.8ld 9.6
4 The ductility of RC beams fells with the creation of splices in the
1SF-100RA-0.6ld 5.7 1PPF-100RA-0.6ld 6.1
2SF-0RA-Wld 5.8 2PPF-0RA-Wld 9.7 tensile rebars. Moreover, reducing the lap length resulted in a drop of
2SF-0RA-ld 7.0 2PPF-0RA-ld 10.2 the ductility ratio and sudden failure. Conversely, using RA prevents
2SF-0RA-0.8ld 6.5 2PPF-0RA-0.8ld 7.0 brittle failure and improves the ductility value of RC beams with lap-
2SF-0RA-0.6ld 6.0 2PPF-0RA-0.6ld 6.7 spliced bars. Alternatively, adding 1% fibres substantially improves
2SF-100RA-Wld 14.7 2PPF-100RA-Wld 13.8
2SF-100RA-ld 2.5 2PPF-100RA-ld 2.1
the ductility of RC beams, and the influence of PPF is more pro­
2SF-100RA-0.8ld 2.4 2PPF-100RA-0.8ld 2.0 nounced. Moreover, incorporating both fibres and RA has a major
2SF-100RA-0.6ld 2.0 2PPF-100RA-0.6ld 1.9 impact on improving the ductility of RC beams with lap-spliced bars;
5 Using 2% fibres increases the ductility of specimens compared with
those without lap-spliced bars, but the ductility considerably
decreased relative to those containing 1% fibres. Conversely, in
specimens with 2% fibres and RA, the influence of PPF is higher than
that of SF. Therefore, reducing the lap length by 20% and 40%

16
A. Karimipour et al. Journal of Building Engineering 38 (2021) 102090

Fig. 28. Influence of 2% of fibres on the stiffness of RARC beams with spliced bars a) SF and b) PPF.

• Fibres were used to improve the flexural performance of recycled

Table 9 aggregate reinforced concrete beams with lap-spliced bars, poly­
Stiffness of all specimens. propylene and steel fibres and recycled aggregates.
Specimen Stiffness (kN/mm) Specimen Stiffness (kN/mm)

0F-0RA-Wld 31.44 0F-100RA-Wld 37.69

0F-0RA-ld 31.38 0F-100RA-ld 31.72 Declaration of Competing Interest
0F-0RA-0.8ld 29.49 0F-100RA-0.8ld 26.32
0F-0RA-0.6ld 29.03 0F-100RA-0.6ld 22.62 The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
1SF-0RA-Wld 52.69 1PPF-0RA-Wld 85.57
1SF-0RA-ld 50.79 1PPF-0RA-ld 56.45
1SF-0RA-0.8ld 49.84 1PPF-0RA-0.8ld 56.23 Appendix A. Supplementary data
1SF-0RA-0.6ld 42.02 1PPF-0RA-0.6ld 46.57
1SF-100RA-Wld 48.34 1PPF-100RA-Wld 98.94
1SF-100RA-ld 46.37 1PPF-100RA-ld 80.46
Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https://doi.
1SF-100RA-0.8ld 46.30 1PPF-100RA-0.8ld 55.46 org/10.1016/j.jobe.2020.102090.
1SF-100RA-0.6ld 41.53 1PPF-100RA-0.6ld 43.17
2SF-0RA-Wld 54.48 2PPF-0RA-Wld 33.10
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